Coverage.py vs NCover
Coverage.py
coverage.readthedocs.ioNCover
ncover.comSide by side
| Figure | Coverage.py | NCover |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | — |
| Free plan | Yes | — |
| Free trial | — | Yes |
| Open source | Yes | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | — |
| Linux | Yes | — |
| API | Yes | — |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 2 | 3 |
| Spec score · Test Coverage Tools | 8.9 (#2) | 7.6 (#14) |
| Support | Users can seek help on the Python discussion forums or Python Discord, report bugs on GitHub, and obtain professional support through Tidelift Subscription. | NCover provides a support request link, help documentation, and a contact email on its contact page. |
Plans
NCover
- NCover Collector License$448, paid once
- NCover Desktop License$658, paid once
- NCover Code Central License$2,298, paid once
In their own words
Coverage.py
Coverage.py measures which parts of Python programs run and highlights executable code that remains untouched, helping developers assess what their tests exercise. It measures statement coverage by default and can also track branch coverage. Reports are available as text, HTML, XML, LCOV, and JSON. Dynamic contexts can associate lines of execution with the test function that ran them. Coverage.py can run test suites through their usual command; pytest-cov is available but the documentation says most users do not need it. Third-party plugins can extend measurement to non-Python files, such as connecting executed Python to Django templates. Data is stored in a SQLite database, and advanced use can rely on its API. The current documentation lists Python 3.10 through 3.15 rc2 and PyPy3 versions 3.10 and 3.11. The tool provides ctrace, pytrace, and sysmon measurement cores; sysmon is faster for simple line and branch coverage but lacks support for dynamic contexts and plugins. Coverage.py is licensed under Apache 2.0 and runs on Linux, macOS, and Windows, with self-hosting available. It is free.